Teboza has signaled to its customers that the asparagus season has begun. This Dutch company has harvested its first greenhouse asparagus.
It is now available at Teboza. "For the next few weeks, the supply's still limited, but the quality's excellent," says Will Teeuwen.
The current energy prices play on asparagus growers' minds quite a bit. Despite the high costs, Teboza confidently began heated cultivation a few weeks back.
"Though we turned on the heaters slightly later, it can still be considered quite an early start. These high energy prices are putting pressure on heated cultivation efficiency. But, for us, especially with an earlier Easter, it's vital to get the product available. That's why we decided to start heating both the greenhouses and outdoor plots. Then we can start to offer asparagus to our clients at the same time as last year," explains Will.
He adds that it is still unclear how large the heated crop will be. "For now, few growers are saying exactly what they're going to do. There are several options, like heating, not heating, or heating at a lower temperature. Acreage is structurally declining, not only in the Netherlands but elsewhere in Europe, too."
"Certainly, in Germany. So, there will definitely be a lower supply than last year. Still, we expect enthusiasm for asparagus to be high, with Easter falling early. Given the supply and costs, I think we'll manage to sell the asparagus at good prices," Will says.
Teboza, however, is expanding all its crops this year. "This year will be the most planting in Teboza's history. We're substantially expanding our green asparagus crop in Spain again. Flying in asparagus from overseas is increasingly under discussion in Europe. Plus, delivery reliability leaves more and more to be desired, as recently experienced with the unrest in Peru."
"We're trying to tackle that problem with our European volumes. As far as we're concerned, it's a go. The pandemic measures are a thing of the past, and inflation concerns are also somewhat diminishing. In the years after the 2009 financial crisis, asparagus actually sold well. People happily allow themselves this affordable luxury," Will concludes.
For more information:
Teboza BV
14 B Zandberg
5988 NW, Helden, NL
Tel.: +31 (0) 773 071 444
Email: verkoop@teboza.nl
www.teboza.com